


Qui-gon and Crew

by JeskaGrace



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:21:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24035005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JeskaGrace/pseuds/JeskaGrace
Summary: The Council meeting from TPM goes slightly differently.Born from a philosophical discussion with ner vod on the flaws of the jetiise, which then became a chaotic spiraling AU idea. Possibly more to come, depending on motivation.
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s)
Comments: 20
Kudos: 39





	1. In Which Qui-gon Makes A Decision

It's somewhere in the third hour of debate that Qui-gon decides he's had enough. There's still a flicker of hurt coming along his bond with Obi-wan - well suppressed, but present - and mounting anxiety from the fledgling bond he shares with Anakin. Not to mention the overwhelming stuffiness that is the Council. It is the will of the Force that he trains Anakin, surely that much is obvious to even a force-blind gundark. But no, the Council insist on bringing up every imaginable obstacle, including his current padawan. As if Obi-wan hadn't been ready for the trials for months - oh. Qui-gon hadn't actually mentioned that to him, had he. That would be the source of the hurt, then. Abashed, he sends a wave of 'sorry' and 'talk later' down their bond. They can't talk telepathically, as such, but after all this time their bond is strong enough that the intent should convey. While he's at it, he sends another wave, this time of reassurance, at both padawans. Would-be padawans? Almost-finished-being padawans? Whatever.

He checks back in on the Council - he'd zoned them out at some point - and finds the same back and forth as to the many reasons Anakin should not be trained. Well, not if that's the attitude he'll be welcomed with, Qui-gon huffs. On the heels of that passing thought comes a excited bubbling in the Force, so he prods the thought. Even if he convinces the Council to accept Anakin - and he fully intends to stand here until they see sense - what sort of life would the boy have here? The Council already dislike him, and he's already mismatched with the initiates who would be his peers - behind in what core worlds consider basic education, not temple-raised, but yet so much more powerful in the Force. Anakin would not fit into temple life, not easily. The certainty of that rings in the Force, and Qui-gon is confused. The Force willed that the boy became a Jedi, he had been so certain. No, he catches himself, the Force willed that he train Anakin.

He must train Anakin. Anakin would not be welcome in the temple. The thoughts swirl. Qui-gon is a Jedi, that means him training Anakin means training him to be a Jedi, right? The answer comes, soft a quiet - yes, and no. Qui-gon is a Jedi, will always be a Jedi. But he has frequently been at odds with the Council, often going his own way on missions, chasing the whim and will of the Force. The Council, those whose duty it is to guide the Order in the path of the Force. The Council, who are sitting there ignoring the blazing sun that was Anakin Skywalker, insisting he could not be one of them.

Well, when looked at like that, it was all rather simple.

"I recognise the decision the Council has made on this matter," Qui-gon said, interrupting a discussion between Oppo Rancisis and Even Piell on the various ways historical exemptions to the Code had gone badly. "And I see there is no use in further debate." This was met with confusion, along with a healthy dose of skepticism, particularly from a narrow-eyed Mace Windu. Beside him, Obi-wan was already preparing for whatever chaos he was about to unleash, while young Anakin seemed to be the only person present taking his words at face value. The rising flood of distress radiating from the boy in the force almost drowned out all else.

"But... Mr Qui-gon, you said..." Anakin stammered, eyes full of betrayal. Emotional, certainly, but that hardly barred him from training. Look how Obi-wan had turned out, despite their rocky start.

"And train you I will," Qui-gon replied, laying a hand on the boy's shoulder. "But it now appears that our path lies elsewhere." Whatever Obi-wan had been expecting, it hadn't been that, as a resounding sensation of 'are-you-kidding-me?' rang through the bond before it slammed shut. The Council had far less restraint than the padawan, and shouted a cacophony of objections until Mace gestured for silence.

"You are proposing to train the boy, against our decision, outside of the order?" he asked, tone implying that surely Qui-gon would not do something so clearly foolish.

Qui-gon smiled broadly. "Precisely." A thought struck him. "Maybe I'll adopt him. The Council can have no objection to a citizen of the Republic teaching what he knows to his son, surely?" The glower on Mace's face suggested that he could indeed object, if the citizen in question was Qui-gon Jinn.

"An apprentice, you have," Yoda said. "Abandon him, would you?" Ah. That would explain the still-locked-down bond with Obi-wan.

"Of course not," Qui-gon replied. "Obi-wan will always have a place with me. If, however, he decides that his path remains with the Order, I hope you will not hold his master's actions against him?" The frozen stares he was receiving from around the room suggested that might be a frail hope. Ah. Oops. Well, he didn't particularly want to leave Obi-wan behind anyway. Qui-gon decided right then that he had wasted enough time on the Council for the day. Giving a shallow bow to the gathered masters, he turned and began guiding Anakin out of the room, sending a pleading look at Obi-wan as he did. _Give me a chance to explain_ , he threw against the silent bond. Then, to the Force, _Let me not have screwed this up again_.


	2. In Which Obi-wan Reflects Upon The Chaos That Is His Life

Obi-wan Kenobi had been the padawan of Jedi Master Qui-gon Jinn for over a decade. It had been an eventful apprenticeship, including but not limited to: a thankfully brief stint in slavery, a vengeful fallen former apprentice, more lost friends than he really liked to consider, leaving then later rejoining the order, and a harried year on a planet that may or may not have been Mandalore, depending on which group of Mandalorians one asked. The relationship between master and padawan had been often strained, sometimes near to breaking point, but they always managed to make it back, patch things up and continue. Obi-wan liked to think their bond was all the stronger for the trials it had faced.

The meeting they had just exited, however, that was a whole other mess that Obi-wan wasn't even sure how to start processing. Qui-gon was leaving the Order.  
Qui-gon was leaving the Order so he could train some random child he picked up on the backwater dustball they'd been stranded on. Obi-wan had nothing against Anakin personally, he even felt somewhat sorry for the kid, getting caught up in the whirlwind that was Qui-gon Jinn, leaving everything he'd known behind to come to the massive and overwhelming Coruscant. Oh Force, did the kid have family? Did _Qui-gon_ know if the kid had family? Scrubbing one hand across his face, Obi-wan let out a quiet groan as the scope of his likely future duties began to sink in. Ahead, Anakin was chattering away to Qui-gon about - pods? Pods that raced. Something like that - as they made their way down familiar paths to Obi-wan and Qui-gon's shared quarters. Obi-wan didn't want to know.

His understanding of what had gone down on the dustball - Tatooine, wasn't it? - was fairly limited. Qui-gon had introduced his latest tag-along, after narrowly escaping a rather nasty looking dark-sider, and then been taken to task by the Queen and her handmaidens. From their tirades, Obi-wan gathered that there had been a gamble, possibly literal, a race, some slaves, and much general disregard for the sovereign authority of Queen Amidala of Naboo. He still wasn't sure if the girl who went with the group was the Queen pretending to be a handmaiden, or the handmaiden that sometimes pretended to be the Queen, but either way, they were all very indiginant. Then there had been the blood test, of course, and the midichlorian count that Obi-wan was still firmly convinced was a glitch. But Qui-gon disagreed, and had on that basis uprooted the poor kid from his home.

"Ah, here we are!" Qui-gon announced, shaking Obi-wan from his thoughts to see that they were indeed home. Qui-gon opened the door and ushered Anakin inside, then paused. He turned to Obi-wan, began to say something, stopped, tried again, then gave up and entered the rooms. Obi-wan just shook his head in amusement. He should probably feel angry, would have even a few years earlier, but he had become used to Qui-gon's eccentric ways. Besides, at least his master seemed to be aware this time that his actions were patently absurd. Making his way to the kitchen, Obi-wan set to preparing tea, leaning on the comfort of the familiar actions.

"So," he said at last, as Qui-gon showed Anakin around the small apartment, "you're leaving the Order?" Qui-gon looked up, fidgeting slightly before assuming his dignified Jedi Master persona. Yes, definitely feeling guilty.

"The Force has made it very clear to me that Anakin must be trained," he said stiffly.

"And by you, specifically?" Obi-wan asked, genuinely curious. Qui-gon was strong in the Living Force, sensitive to it's various wills and whims, but he was prone to getting caught up in his own stubborness once he'd latched onto a course. Just as Obi-wan tended to get lost in the issues and consequences and what-if's of a situation. It was what made them such a good team. It also made Qui-gon frequently infuriating.

"I take the absence of a suitable alternative to be confirmation of that," Qui-gon said, thought he did seem to be genuinely considering the question. "As to the Order... What have we become, if we place caution and precedent and habit over the Will of the Force?" And that was what it all came down to, really. It was the decision Obi-wan had been faced with, back on Melida/Daan, to follow his orders or his conscience. He still wasn't sure, all these years later, if he'd made the right choice. Was there some better path he could've found? Would some better solution have presented itself if he'd just followed the wisdom of his elders? But at the same time, if he found himself back in that place, on orders to abandon friends and allies on grounds of Jedi neutrality, he didn't know that he'd act any differently. Maybe that made him a bad Jedi. A wry smile made itself known at the thought. They weren't going to be Jedi anymore, after all.

"You're that certain, then?" he asked. If he was going to do this, walk away from the Order that was his life, he wanted at least some assurance that this wasn't some vague whim of Qui-gon's. His master blinked, as if expected more argument, then walked over and laid his hands on Obi-wan's shoulders.

"As certain as I have ever been of anything," Qui-gon said. "However, my path is not necessarily yours. I meant it when I said you were more than ready for your trials, and I believe you will make a remarkable knight, should you choose to stay." He paused, and Obi-wan waited. He would readily leave with the man who was all but a father to him, but he wouldn't be the unwanted tag-along. Qui-gon, for once in his life, seemed to pick up on this, and continued. "That said, I would miss you greatly if you did stay, and I'm sure there are many things Anakin could learn from his older brother." Obi-wan let out an unsteady laugh. This was it. They were actually going through with it, leaving the Order.

"I can hardly let you go off on your own, Master," he said. "Within a week you'd have adopted half the galaxy, and Anakin doesn't know how to manage all the pathetic lifeforms you attract. Far be it from me to condemn my new little brother to such a fate."

At this point a small, cloth-covered cannonball barreled into Obi-wan. Anakin, previously hovering quietly at the edge of the room, had apparently taken this declaration of brotherhood as all the invitation he needed.  
"This is going to be wizard!" he crowed. "It's always just been me and Mum before-" He cut himself off, and looked beseechingly up at Qui-gon. "Can we got get Mum, now the Queen and Padme are safe?"

And the stress that had been creeping up on Obi-wan before all this family bonding returned in a crash.  
"Qui-gon, for the love of the Force, please tell me you did not kidnap the child."


	3. In Which Finances Are Discussed

Qui-gon did not kidnap the child, it turned out. He had, in fact, attempted to free Anakin's mother as well, but been thwarted by their lack of both funding and time. Obi-wan breathed a sigh of relief at this revelation - Qui-gon had a tendency to lose track of mundane things when following the Will of the Force, and it was anyone's guess as to what might qualify as mundane in any given scenario. While they'd been on the topic, Obi-wan had pulled the rest of the story out of the pair. Anakin, in particular, fluctuated between proud and excited about his own role in gaining his freedom, and worried that he was going to get in trouble. Obi-wan shared a knowing grin with his master - the whole mission sounded about par for the course for them. It was good that Anakin had thrived on the challenge, as Obi-wan highly doubted that they would go settle on some remote planet and live quietly from this point on. Case in point - their current plans.

"While I'm sure we could find passage to Tatooine, in the long run it would be far more beneficial to obtain a ship of our own," Qui-gon said, Anakin beside him looking like his eyes were about to pop out of his head with excitement.

"I agree," Obi-wan replied. " _If_ we had the funds, it would make far more sense to acquire a ship. However, as it stands, we don't, and I think we're all agree that we want to free Lady Skywalker as soon as possible." Qui-gon drew in a breath, about to lay out his own retort, but Obi-wan had focused on Anakin. The boy had practically deflated as Obi-wan spoke. With a glance to Qui-gon asking him to wait a moment, Obi-wan smiled encouragingly at Anakin. "What's wrong?"

"Uh..." Anakin glanced between the two men, uncertainty plain on his face. "You guys don't have any money?"

"A Jedi does not require material possessions," Qui-gon said sagely.

"We have a little," Obi-wan said. "Enough to get us to Tatooine. Once your mother's free, we'll see about getting jobs of some kind, since the Order won't be providing for us anymore."

Anakin stared at them as though he'd just realised they were completely mad. "You _need_ money," he insisted. "To do _anything_." The kid looked like he was about to go into a full blown panic, wild emotions leaking everything. Obi-wan leaned forward and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Anakin, breath," he said.

"The Force will provide," Qui-gon said. Then he stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Perhaps it would do to acquire more funds before we head off." He pondered for a moment longer, then stood. "Padawan, if you could watch over Anakin and take care of whatever paperwork the Council has decided is necessary, I shall go secure our financial stability." With that, he swept out the door, leaving Obi-wan to comfort the still fretting Anakin.

"It's alright, Anakin," he soothed. "Qui-gon and I have gone on plenty of missions where we had to rely on ourselves. While we wait for him, why don't we check in on how the Naboo are doing? I hear Master Ti and her padawan have been assigned to replace us."

~*~

Down in the lower levels of Coruscant, in a shady casino, a tall, robed man sat at a sabaac table, in front of him an ever-growing pile of credits. After all, if these sentients were so eager to throw their credits away, who was Qui-gon to say no? 


	4. In Which A Report Is Filed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tried a different format for this one. not sure how it turned out, but it was fun

**Mission Report #201853**   
_Recorded by: Padawan Obi-wan Kenobi **with annotations by Master Jinn**_ and Anakin!

**Assigned Jedi:** Master Qui-gon Jinn, Padawan Obi-wan Kenobi _**and Anakin.** He's not a jedi, he doesn't need to make a report. **But he's with us, so he should be on the report.** Oh, fine_ and Anakin Skywalker 

**Mission Mandate:** To train Anakin Skywalker _**and oversee the progress of Knight Kenobi.** I'm not a knight. **Regardless.**_ Secondary mandate - to generally follow the Will of the Force and do what good we can. 

**Details:** As our mission necessitated leaving the Order, this will be the only official report.  
Master Jinn procured finances, while Padawan Kenobi and Anakin investigated transport options. That's what we were doing? I thought we were preparing our escape!  
Depature from Coruscant occured sooner than anticipated, as several of Master Jinn's financial acquaintances objected to his methods. Pursuit was successfully evaded. See! Told you!  
Purchase of the ship depleted our reserves, so course was set to a nearby port for further financial ventures. For mission security, the name of the port has been omitted. 

At his request, Anakin Skywalker was appointed mission treasurer ~~as he is the only one with any grasp of good financial sense among us.~~.  
Treasurer Skywalker then used his position to negotiate a place accompanying Master Jinn. Strong objections were made by Padawan Kenobi, but were over-ruled on the basis of 'It's part of his training! You worry too much, Obi-wan. We'll be fine.'  
Padawan Kenobi would like to point out what happened the last time Master Jinn and Treasurer Skywalker were left unattended. We weren't unattended. Padme was there! _**Obi-wan likes to pretend he only gets into trouble when I drag him into it.**_  
A group of disreputable weequay attempted to appropriate the ship, but Padawan Kenobi, who was minding his own business and very much _not_ getting into trouble, was able to convince them of the folly of that plan. _Master, if you ever meet a pirate called Hondo Ohnaka who says we owe him a favour, just play along and don't ask. Please?_  
Thanks to the acute observational skills of Treasurer Skywalker, we were able to leave port without any financial disagreements. _Welcome to life as Master Jinn's padawan, Anakin. good job on spotting that trandoshan going for his friends though! **I had it all under control, we would've been fine!** Sure._ Sure.

At this point it was discovered that in our precipitous departure, Master Jinn and Padawan Kenobi had neglected to turn in the proper paperwork in regards to their leaving the Order. As this was due to the danger to health and life of said Jedi, and moreover to the health and safety of one under their protection, we hope you will understand this oversight.  
As such, please consider this both the report of our final actions of part of the Jedi Order, and our official parting of ways.  
Since sending lightsabers by interplanetary courier would be a grossly unacceptable risk of valued Order property, we shall keep the two lightsabers formerly belonging to Qui-gon Jinn and Obi-wan Kenobi in our custody until we can devise a suitable secure method of returning them to their rightful place with the Order.  
Do you _have_ to give back your laser swords?  
_Lightsaber. And yes, Anakin. A lightsaber is a formidable weapon. It would be highly irresponsible for Council to allow two to stay in the possession of people over whom they have no control._  
But if they don't control you-  
**_Hush, Anakin. Besides, Obi-wan has already said we'll said we'll get the saber's back as soon as feasible_**  
_Any_ way. I think that sums up the report. Our best regards to the Council. Obi-wan out.  
~there is the faint sound of a small boy trying to ask more questions, then the recording cuts out~ 

~*~

The datapad dropped in front of Yoda with a clatter, followed by Mace dropping just as heavily into a nearby chair.  
"This is your fault," Mace said, rubbing at the bridge of his nose, a sure sign of a growing headache.  
"My fault, this is?" Yoda didn't need the Force to guess this related to the Jinn-Kenobi pair's latest misadventure, though he wasn't sure how he could specifically be held responsible. Argued against Skywalker, the whole Council had.  
"They'd've never ended up together if not for your meddling," Mace grumbled. "But no, _you_ thought they'd make a good team." That was true. Yoda had wondered for years whether he'd done the right thing orchestrating that Master and Padawan pair, but what was a Grandmaster supposed to do if not meddle? It wasn't as if Master Dooku had been in the temple at the time. Although maybe it would be good for his former padawan to get more involved in the doings of the temple...  
"Yes, yes, a good team they are. But some help they will need, if on their own they are, hmm?" 


End file.
